Performax International Mid-Season Review

Posted on 3 August 2018
Performax International Mid-Season Review
For the first time, the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series has expanded to a seven round National Series across NSW, QUEENSLAND and VICTORIA. With regular grids of 14 or more cars, the series in now establishing itself as a credible racing championship, offering excellent value for money involvement and a positive return on investment for commercial partners and all key stakeholders. The series is about to announce the sale of the 20th car with more set for delivery between now and the end of the year. See the full Performax Mid Season Review here.      
 

Seton Sets new benchmark in TA2 Muscle Car Series

Posted on 24 June 2018
Seton Sets new benchmark in TA2 Muscle Car Series

Aaron Seton swept all before him this weekend at round four of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at Queensland Raceway.

Pole position, four race wins and a new lap record proved the Ford Mustang driver is a talent that shouldn’t go unnoticed and his performance in the Castrol Harris Racing Mustang was a class act.

Performax Cup series leader Russell Wright was a strong second in all four races from Gold Coaster Ashley Jarvis. The Camaro driver dominated the last round at Sydney Motorsport Park but couldn’t match his performance from earlier in the season. However, on correct points he still remains a major championship contender with the series using a points system allowing drivers to drop their worst scoring round at the end of the season.

Hugh McAlister, Peter Robinson and Ian McAlister battled out the balance of the top five in the final two races. Ian McAlister made a drive under brakes into turn four during race four, tagging the rear of Robinson’s Dodge Challenger and turning him around.

Robinson was forced to sit out the remainder of the race, with McAlister receiving a 30 second post-race penalty for the incident.

Mustang driver Anthony Tenkate, coming through from the back of the pack after weighing in light at the end of race three, made a lunge at the turn six hairpin on Michael Kulig’s Camaro, however the two came together on the exit, resulting in a spin for Tenkate and a penalty for Kulig.

Seton controlled the pace for the remainder of the race, the only driver to lap in the 1:14 bracket, taking the round win from Wright and Jarvis.

Seton was pleased with his round win and endorsed the category as a valuable step in his development.

“I’d compare it as a mix between a NASCAR and a Supercar, they’re great fun to drive and I’d recommend anyone looking for a new category to race in to come and have a look at TA2.”

“It’s that sort of a car to drive and it’s cost-effective racing too, it would be great for other young racers to use it in their motorsport development.”

“Finally I’d like to thank Craig Harris for the opportunity to drive the Castrol Harris Racing TA2 Mustang, it’s been an awesome experience and a great way for me to continually develop as a driver.”

Wright stretched his series lead to 13 points from Hugh McAlister, with Jarvis only three points behind in third.

Round five of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series heads to Goulburn’s Wakefield Park Raceway on August 18-19 for the Australian Motor Racing Series event.

 

Seton delivers Muscle Car Magic on Day One at Queensland Raceway

Posted on 23 June 2018
Seton delivers Muscle Car Magic on Day One at Queensland Raceway
With pole and two wins, Aaron Seton has dominated day one at round four of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at the Two Days of Thunder at Queensland Raceway. The Ford Mustang driver set the fastest time ever for the TA2 Muscle Cars around the Ipswich circuit to score his second consecutive series pole ahead of Ashley Jarvis and series leader Russell Wright. Seton’s 1:13.6382 set him up for a dominant performance to win race one from Wright and Jarvis. The race was suspended on lap five after Don Dimitriadis’s Ford Mustang left the road and made contact with Darren Berry and Mark Crutcher at turn four. The three cars were heavily damaged and all three drivers received routine precautionary media checks and were cleared of any injury. Dimitriadis admitted fault for the incident and was penalised 50 championship points. At the restart, Seton controlled the race for the final two-lap dash to the chequered. In race two, Seton again took a green-to-flag victory, although veteran driver Russell Wright pushed Seton hard in the RoadBees Transport Mustang to finish second ahead of Jarvis. Dodge Challenger driver Peter Robinson finished in the top five, splitting the McAlister Ford father and son team of Hugh and Ian McAlister. Anthony Tenkate fought from the rear of the grid and enjoyed a race-long battle with Greg Willis before a tyre failure forced him to the pits. Michael Kulig and David Falvey were excluded for being under the minimum 1250kg weight limit and will start from the rear of the grid for race three tomorrow. Seton was pleased with today’s performance as he looks towards the two races left tomorrow. “It was a great day behind the wheel of the Castrol Harris Racing Mustang. I just can’t thank him enough for the opportunity to be out there and getting more miles under my belt.” “It was a good race up there with Russell, so I’m really looking forward to the two races tomorrow.” Gold Coaster Russell Wright continues to lead the Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series, with two twelve lap raced schedule for tomorrow to close out the Two Days of Thunder.
 

TA2 Grid Builds at Queensland Raceway

Posted on 20 June 2018
TA2 Grid Builds at Queensland Raceway
15-cars head to Queensland Raceway for round four of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series at the Two Days of Thunder this weekend, June 23/24. Fresh from scoring a clean-sweep of all four races at round three at the Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park only a fortnight ago, Ashley Jarvis jumped two spots in the series standings to sit in third behind Russell Wright and Hugh McAlister. Jarvis maintains an unbeaten streak in his own car this season after he clean swept the season opener at Winton Motor Raceway in March. That streak was strongly challenged by young-gun Aaron Seton at the Muscle Car Masters, and the third-generation racer returns to the seat this weekend after announcing he’ll race the #88 Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang for the remainder of the season. A consistent run of performances in the early phase of the season saw Russell Wright emerge from Sydney with a marginal series lead, only five points clear of Hugh McAlister, with Jarvis a further seven points behind. Michael Kulig will make his TA2 debut this weekend in the #7 Kulig Engineering Chevrolet Camaro. The former Sports Sedan racer will take the wheel for the remainder of the season after his father George Kulig debuted the car at round two. Darren Berry returns to the grid in the #20 Tooth Booth Dental Lounge Chevrolet Camaro after missing round three at Sydney, while Canberran racer Chad Cotton will not travel up to Queensland for this round. Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series manager Craig Denyer has reported strong growth in the category since the start of the year, with 20-car grids expected for the second half of the year. “This year is all about getting the building blocks in place to take the series to the next level, while at the same time ensuring the cost to compete from a competitors point of view remains significantly lower than most other motorsport categories,” explained Denyer. “The enquiry level since the last round at Sydney Motorsport Park’s Muscle Car Masters has been very strong, and when you consider you can race these cars each race weekend for less than the cost of a Saloon Car, it’s a very appealing option. “The fact that drivers like Aaron Seton can see the merit in using the category as a career path to Supercars gives enormous credibility to the TA2 Muscle Car Series, and it’s clear on the current enquiry level that we will be running grids of 20 plus cars next year.” The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series is set for four races over Saturday and Sunday across the weekend at the Two Days of Thunder. ENTRY LIST2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series - Round 4, Queensland Raceway (QLD) #2 - Don Dimitriadis (NSW), Ford Mustang - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia #4 - Mark Crutcher (NSW), Chevrolet Camaro - Crutcher Developments #5 - Ian McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax #6 - Hugh McAlister (NSW), Ford Mustang - McAlister Motors/Performax #7 - Michael Kulig (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Kulig Engineering #10 - Peter Robinson (QLD), Dodge Challenger - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life #14 - Cameron Sendall (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - PBR Distributions/BStyled For Life #15 - David Falvey (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Thunder Road Racing Team Australia #20 - Darren Berry (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Tooth Booth Dental Lounge #22 - Ashley Jarvis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Lighthouse Electrical #44 - Greg Willis (QLD), Chevrolet Camaro - Cross Torque Racing/Surety IT #55 - Russell Wright (QLD), Ford Mustang - RoadBees Transport #69 - Anthony Tenkate (QLD), Ford Mustang - Tenkate Plant Hire/Performax #88 - Aaron Seton (QLD), Ford Mustang - Castrol Harris Racing #92 - Scott Textor (QLD), Dodge Challenger - Textor Racing
 

Seton Commits to TA2 Muscle Cars

Posted on 18 June 2018

Aaron Seton will complete the remainder of the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series, filling in for Craig Harris in the #88 Castrol Harris Racing Ford Mustang.

The third generation racer subbed for Harris at the last round at the Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park, and has agreed to extend the arrangement to see out the 2018 season.

The 19-year old has been identified as a rising star of the sport after picking up a Class B title in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge in 2015, as well as victories in the 2016 and 2018 editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour, firstly aboard a Class I MARC Ford Focus, then with the Class C BMW M4 GT4 alongside Matthew Brabham and Tony Longhurst. 

He was also a regular front runner in the first two seasons of the Toyota 86 Racing Series, picking up numerous podium results along the way.

Seton praised the TA2 series as a valuable step on his way to reaching the Supercars Championship.

“The TA2 cars are fantastic cars to drive and are a great stepping stone towards my goal of the Supercars Championship.”

“I really enjoyed the Muscle Car Masters event and I can’t thank Craig Harris from Castrol Harris Racing enough for the opportunity to drive his car for the rest of the season.”

One of the main players in bringing the TA2 category to Australia, Harris is thrilled to provide this opportunity to Seton, but plans to return to the seat in 2019.

“I am pleased to give this opportunity to Aaron [Seton] because he is a very capable driver whose goal is to get into the Supercars Championship,” said Harris. 

“The TA2 category is one of the most exciting series out there and I feel this is a great stepping stone for him.”

The Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series returns to action this weekend at Queensland Raceway for round four of their championship, with a further three events at Wakefield Park, Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park to complete the season.

On 276 points, Russell Wright leads the 2018 Performax TA2 Muscle Car Series by 5 points over Hugh McAlister on 271, with Ashley Jarvis third on 264.